The Gordon Research conference on Periodontal Disease will be held during July 20-25, 1997 at New England college in Henniker, NH. The mission of the Gordon Research conference is "to promote growth, development, and open communication of frontier developments in science among investigators, young scientists in development, and other persons responsible for the growth of science." The specific aim of this application is to assist young scientists in development to attend the Gordon Research conference on periodontal Diseases by providing funding for expenses of traveling to and from the conference site. The conference program itself comprises oral presentations relating to periodontology in the topic areas of bacterial virulence and infections, vaccines, phagocytes, wound healing, bone biology, and implantology, as well as poster presentations in all research areas related to periodontology. Young investigators, defined as those who completed their terminal degrees in less than 5 years prior to the date the conference begins, will be eligible to compete for travel funds. A planning Committee, comprising of the conference chair, co-chair, and session moderators, will review abstracts submitted by these investigators and prioritize such applications for funding. Applicants who successfully compete for funding will present their research during the poster sessions.